Essential Points to Keep in Mind while Starting a New Organization

Hello everyone! I’m Shohei.
This column is about what I felt and experienced at a plant factory in Japan.

When you’ve been in the field for over 10 years, a lot of things happen. I write freely about what I remember.

Please feel free to read it while thinking, “Wow, that’s how Japanese plant factories work.”

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Essential Points to Keep in Mind while Starting a New Organization

Having been involved in the establishment of several plant factories up to this point, there are two things that I believe are essential for a successful launch of a facility and organization.

The first is to give employees a chance to gain solid experience.

It goes without saying that, when launching a new operation, many employees will have no prior knowledge. To achieve stable factory operations, I believe it is essential to teach them the necessary knowledge and support their growth.

However, it is also true that, unfortunately, people seldom absorb information taught to them by others. It is difficult to learn unless someone feels the need to.

For that reason, employees need to be given increasingly difficult challenges. It is important for them to realize that there is a mountain of knowledge to learn.

Sometimes, they may fail. However, as long as their mistakes are not fatal, those failures will turn into invaluable experiences.

In fact, without experiencing minor setbacks, they will not know how to respond when serious problems arise. This can lead to irreparable consequences.

As a support, I believe it is important to maintain a certain distance from employees who are struggling but who are trying hard.

Of course, someone who is doing their utmost will sometimes want more immediate assistance. However, the decision of whether or not to provide that support should not be based on sympathy, but on whether it will contribute to the overall goal of a successful launch.

However, that alone is not enough to guarantee success.

This is where the second lesson comes in.

It is important to be 100% supportive in areas where help is needed. For example, the tools mentioned in this chapter, such as the Nutrient Solution Design Sheet, or the structure and systems of the factory. In other words, it is important to create finished products and present them.

Ideally, all of these things could be handled by the team alone. That would make the organization solid as a rock.

However, tasks like building systems require knowledge, experience, and breadth of understanding. They are beyond the capabilities of inexperienced individuals.

Nevertheless, even in a new launch, these things are essential. So, instead of offering half-hearted support, 100% assistance should be provided.

If these tasks are assigned to beginners, the results will be poor. If an inferior system or set of habits crystallizes during the launch, it will be extremely difficult to change them later on.

The above are my thoughts on launching a business. However, as someone who likes to talk big, I would add that launching a factory, no matter how many times you do it, is never easy.